The invention relates to drawer structures wherein drawer side walls have metal pull-out rails attached thereto. Each metal pull-out rail has a vertical web, an upper horizontal running flange and a lower horizontal flange supporting a respective side of a drawer bottom plate. Such bottom plate has parallel lateral edges and a pair of longitudinal grooves extending parallel to respective lateral edges. A number of flaps are punched out of each lower horizontal flange and extend into a respective groove. Cover strips arranged on the drawer side walls cover respective lateral edges of the bottom plate. The invention further provides a tool for bending the flaps.
Generally the rail that forms the pull-out rail of a pull-out assembly is attached to a side wall of a drawer. Such rails have L-, U- or Z-shaped profiles. Such rails can be separate rails or integral parts of the respective drawer side walls.
DE-OS 27 02 217 and EP-A2-0 429 428 disclose drawers with metal side walls, whereby the side walls have Z-shaped profiles and upper horizontal flanges are utilized as runner flanges for roller bearings mounted in the furniture side walls. In this way, the drawer does not need separate pull-out rails. Lower horizontal flanges of the side walls have hooks which protrude into openings such as grooves in the bottom plate.
German Utility Model 9113477 discloses a drawer side wall made of steel and including a cover strip above a flange on which the bottom plate rests, such cover strip covering a lateral edge of the bottom plate.
DE-A1-39 34 419 discloses a drawer side wall including a lower part and an upper part. The lower part has a horizontal flange on which the bottom plate rests and the upper part has a cover strip. The two parts are welded together.
Bottom plates are not always of exactly the same thickness. As a consequence, the space between the lower horizontal flange of the drawer side wall and the cover strip is chosen slightly larger than actually necessary, so that a range of tolerance regarding the thickness of the bottom plate to be mounted is obtained. Therefore, it may happen that, when the bottom plate is inserted, there is a clearance between the bottom plate and the cover strip. Dirt particles can easily accumulate in such a clearance. Especially in the case of kitchen furniture, this should be avoided.